William Cornwallis
Royal Navy admiral / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about William Cornwallis?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, GCB (10 February 1744 – 5 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a number of decisive battles including the siege of Louisbourg in 1758, when he was 14, and the Battle of the Saintes but is best known as a friend of Lord Nelson and as the commander-in-chief of the Channel Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. He is depicted in the Horatio Hornblower novel, Hornblower and the Hotspur.
The Honourable Sir William Cornwallis | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Eye | |
In office 1801–1807 | |
In office 1790–1800 | |
In office 1782–1784 | |
In office 1768–1774 | |
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth | |
In office 1784–1790 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 10 February 1744 |
Died | 5 July 1819(1819-07-05) (aged 75) |
Relations | Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend |
Nickname(s) | "Blue Billy"[1] "Coachee", "Billy go tight" and "Mr Whip" |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch/service | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1755–1806 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands | HMS Wasp HMS Swift HMS Prince Edward HMS Guadeloupe HMS Lion HMS Canada HMS Ganges HMY Charlotte HMS Robust HMS Crown East Indies Station Channel Fleet |
Battles/wars | |
His affectionate contemporary nickname from "the ranks" was Billy Blue, and a sea shanty was written during his period of service, reflecting the admiration his men had for him.[2]